Cape Cod Potpourri: Friends from the briar patch

Friday

Mar 7, 2014 at 12:01 AMMar 7, 2014 at 11:43 AM

Farmer Brown, Jimmy Skunk, Joe Otter, Grandfather Frog and Spotty the Turtle are a few of the characters brought to life by Thornton Waldo Burgess, the prolific children's book writer who grew up in Sandwich. Before he died in 1965, at age 91, he'd written 170 books and some 15,000 stories that appeared in his “Bedtime Stories” newspaper columns.

Farmer Brown, Jimmy Skunk, Joe Otter, Grandfather Frog and Spotty the Turtle are a few of the characters brought to life by Thornton Waldo Burgess, the prolific children’s book writer who grew up in Sandwich. Before he died in 1965, at age 91, he’d written 170 books and some 15,000 stories that appeared in his “Bedtime Stories” newspaper columns.

He created the American version of Peter Rabbit, who British author Beatrice Potter dreamed up in the English Lake District at the turn of the 19th century. Burgess brought Peter Rabbit to Dear Old Briar Patch, his characters’ fictional stomping ground in Sandwich, and gave him scores of new friends.

With his longtime pal Cady Harrison illustrating his books, Burgess, who, by the way, was an award-winning naturalist and conservationist, found literary success worldwide.

Of his most famous character, Burgess once said: “I like to think that Miss Potter gave Peter a name known the world over, while I with Mr. Cady's help perhaps made him a character.”

Through March 29 we can see Cady’s work at Cotuit Center for the Arts, which is staging “Picturing New England Wildlife: Illustrations by Harrison Cady from the Collection of the Thornton W. Burgess Society.”

The exhibit is showing watercolors and works in pen and ink, all depicting the animal characters created by Burgess. Check out more details at artsonthecape.org.

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I could live very happily for the rest of my life without ever seeing another snowflake fall, but it’s been fun trying to identify the wildlife footprints across my snowy lawn and backyard this winter. It was startling, really, to see the range of tracks from animals of various sizes and types.

So I’m going to learn more about wildlife tracking, and you can, too.

Harwich Conservation Trust is sponsoring a free introductory class on wildlife tracking in the town’s Island Pond Conservation Lands on Saturday, March 8. Naturalist Todd Kelley will lead the group.

Anyone interested needs to hurry up and register; email hctwalks@gmail.com.

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In Chatham, St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church parishioner and poet Neil Silberblatt next week will launch “Calm Seas at St. C.’s,” an open mic program for area singers, musicians, poets and performing artists of all stripes, including magicians, tap dancers, comedians and more.

Silberblatt seems to be a born organizer of artistic events. He’s the founder of Voices of Poetry, a series that combines music and poetry presentations in various venues.

This latest initiative is open to the public and the first one is Friday, March 14. Silberblatt says Calm Seas will be presented the second Friday of each month in the hurch’s Parish Hall. It begins at 6 p.m., with sign-ups starting at 5:30 p.m.

Depending on turnout, performers will be limited to 10 minutes each.

“Performers of all ages and all levels of experience --from none to seasoned ‘pros’-- are invited and encouraged to attend and present their artistry,” says Silberblatt.

Questions? Contact Silberblatt via the church office, 508-945-2832. St. Christopher’s is located at 625 Main St.

Here’s a housekeeping item for our artist readers…..

Dates are set for the fifth annual Wellfleet SPAT SummerFair Fine Arts & Crafts Fair. It’s July 23 and 24 at Windmill Green in Eastham.

Applications must be postmarked by April 1; artists who have participated in the last two years don’t have to resubmit photos of their work.

SPAT (Wellfleet Shellfish Promotion and Tasting), the same group that runs the big OysterFest in October, organizes SummerFest.

And there’s news about OysterFest, too:

Vendor coordinator Deirdre Oringer has resigned her position with the fest but will continue to organize SummerFair.

SPAT Manager Michele Insley will coordinate OysterFest, and she is introducing an electronic application process this year. Artists can apply online through ZAPPlication.org, a free service for artists to apply to multiple shows using digital images. Artists can send in paper applications to be considered for the OysterFest for an additional fee. But next year the fest will use the online application only. Wellfleetoysterfest.org has details about both events.

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Attention poets. It’s time for the 2014 Voices of Peace Poetry Contest, sponsored by the Cpl. Jeffrey M. Lucey Cape Cod Chapter 041 Veterans for Peace with funding from the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod. The contest will close on Friday, March 28, with judging taking place Saturday, March 29. The awards ceremony will be on May 3.Submissions should be sent to Veterans for Peace, PO Box 102, West Hyannisport, MA 02672

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If you haven’t yet seen the exhibit “All About sEVEn” at Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis, mosey over there this Saturday, March 8, to hear an “International Women’s Day Concert” that’s being coordinated with the art display.